Dead Man's Bluff
: "You'll see, Peter. People... need to believe. And nowadays, they'll believe anything." : ―Daniel Berkhart Another important developing Spider-Man classic, Spider-Man: "Dead Man's Bluff" is set on May 16th, 2016 going across some of New York's boroughs. In this, TMO's first horror-based roleplay, we see Quentin Beck's rise from the dead to conquer New York and kill Spider-Man. But in Mysterio fashion, everything isn't what it seems.. This story was written by Stavroforos and Dylon. Background The Story Ride to Brooklyn The story opens with Peter Parker riding through the streets of Brooklyn following an encounter with Miles Morales at the F.E.A.S.T center. Miles's mother, Rio, who was picking him up for school, asked Peter to drop off some papers to Brooklyn Visions if he's free and Peter of-course accepted. Following this, Peter continues biking over to his aunt's house to drop-off some groceries and stuff since his aunt has been busy running F.E.A.S.T since Martin Li's imprisonment. Visit to the Parker Residence He soon arrives and heads inside dropping off some groceries and a twenty dollar bill as, in his words, work has been good lately. He then heads into the backyard and begins to checkout all his old spots including the shed, in-which he called the Spider-Shed and or Spider-Cave which was really just a shed. However as this is being done, sirens are heard in the distance, Peter takes notice and leaps to the second floor to change into costume. "Anything is Possible for a Dead-Man" Peter quickly arrives in his costume to the building engulfed in flames. He quickly shatters a window to swing in as he sees people trapped, however as he enters he finds the building in-perfect condition. As he goes to investigate he hears a woman's scream and rushes to the scene only to find the great Mysterio, Quentin Beck! Peter is shocked as they exchange some words before Quentin disappears giving Peter a card with Quentin's final words being about a bomb. After collecting the card he reacts to the bomb statement and begins to hear the loud ticking, Peter leaps away but hits his head upon exit and lands on a neighboring building with minor dizziness. He soon gets up and checks the card to find it saying: "Look for where it all began." Peter deduces this to be either Chinatown or the warehouse which he called his 'House of Mirrors', but as he flips the card he finds an arrow that points towards Coney Island; during the roleplay there had been signs and flyers for an event happening at Coney Island. Peter knows this isn't good and decides to take his freetime before it starts to investigate. Investigating Quentin As he can't leave Brooklyn defenseless and return home, Peter sets-up shop at a local restaurant with WiFi to conduct his research on Quentin. While there he comes up with the theory that Quentin is a ghost haunting him or he's being effected by Quentin's old gas. During his research and time theorizing, he's forced to turn off his music when the ghost of Quentin keeps interrupting him with his presence. Peter stops his research as he finds something that will later help him in-the story but quickly forgets that for plot convenience, at the end of their conversation when Quentin disappears the building's occupants do also. Peter then grabs his laptop and bag and leaves only to hear the building fall, after the fog settles he turns back to see the building in fine condition. One Last Errand After his encounter with the ghoul Quentin, Peter bikes over to Stan's Comic Shop near-his old place in Brooklyn. There he recounts some of his youth where he would be Stan's only customer of the day, Stan (the owner) and Peter grew close because of this. Peter avoids bumping into the kids and continues to talk with Stan Lee about his life in Manhattan at Empire State University and how well the comic shop has been, even some non-working employees like Jack Kirby are talked about. Anyways, everything leads up to Stan asking Peter if he still reads and Peter replies with he can never really find the time. Stan says that's just him growing up and Peter replies with that he's fine with growing-up but he's scared of who he is turning into; after this he faces the daunting Iron Man poster behind him on the wall. As this happens music begins to play and when Peter turns he's in a wide open field with grass hills and no clouds just sun, the kids from the shop are dancing with the music and he walks around feeling happy; forgetting his troubles from before. All of this 'troubles' however are soon reminded when some kids pass by in this illusion stating that Spider-Man is the Robin to Iron Man's Batman, these words and more begin to echo and soon Peter begins to realize he's in his Iron Spider armor. All this leads Peter to yell "I'M NOT YOU- I'M NOT YOU!" at the Iron Man poster from before, the illusion fades at Peter's breakdown. The House of Mirrors Peter, embarrassed, quickly flees Stans' Comics before saying farewell and goes to some rooftops near Coney Island to reflect on what he's doing; as he does this, on a nearby building is some Iron Man graffiti overshadowing him. Peter then webs off to Coney Island as they begin letting people in for the festival and lands on the 'Drop Tower' where he does a full-scan of the island with his self-made A.I Karen. As he expects, Mysterio is in the House of Mirrors. Peter sighs quickly going towards it. As Peter enters, he finds himself in his original costume in-which he first fought Quentin Beck in. Peter makes some humor about how doomed he is in before the 'horrors' begin, Quentin appears in a room of mirrors and mocks Peter leading Peter to charge him. But as he does this, Quentin leaps into one of the mirrors and so Peter begins punching the mirrors destroying them until the ground shatters causing Peter to fall into a black abyss. Peter does however soon land and looks around to see nothing, literally, except there is one thing amonse the black. A burning building. Peter quickly runs to the scene going to save the woman inside screaming who is revealed to be Quentin, the two battle it out and it ends with Quentin ground-slamming him into a graveyard. Marvel Zombies Peter gets up alone in the dimly-lit graveyard only to find him at his own grave, he begins to panic and look around spotting all his friends and families tombstones. Quentin begins to narrate saying he could've saved them as the people begin to rise from their individual graves as zombies, repeating Quentin's words as they do so. As the zombies begin to rush him, Peter leaps back into a nearby tree but soon flips out of it into a more lit-up area. Sadly though, the Avengers wait all-in their zombie looks. Peter begins to battle the weak zombie Avengers while Quentin watches with a smirk, a victory-smirk. As the fight is won, Peter is punched in the face by zombie Hulk and is thrown into a rift. He spots stuff he isn't quite sure of, it's a Spider-Verse, but he doesn't know that yet. He sees a universe where Gwen is alive and well and is Spider-Man and looks down as he falls into the Nightmare World. As he looks around to see the nearby green sea he quickly turns back to find himself in his highschool apartment-room, noise comes from the nearby kitchen leading him to investigate. Spidey finds himself in a memory, Gwen (his girlfriend at the time) with his Aunt May, the first time they met. Peter then turns to the hallway to see he's now in his apartment, Gwen has just caught Peter in his Spider-Man costume and is in disgust and fear. She runs off and falls into Peter, the actual Peter's arms dying as she's been killed. Peter begins to tear as he relives his greatest mistake, he punches the air vowing to kill Quentin and Norman in all the commotion, he however accidentally hits one of Quentin's drones however. Te room begins to shake and Gwen turns to Peter asking for a kiss as his face melts. Peter soon wakes up back in the Hall of Mirrors with Quentin standing there, Karen begins to speak to him once more as she's gained access to the technology Mysterio possesses. As Quentin begins to walk forward he yells to shut off the illusions and such happens, Quentin disappears and the room is normal. Battle for Coney Island As Peter exits very suspicious, he finds the carnival is completely still. Daniel Berkhart makes his presence known as the real trouble-maker and illusionist. Daniel used the hats to take mental control over the people at Coney Island, Peter scans the area using his A.I to find all this is being powered at the Ferris Wheel which is using unearthly energy, Nightmare energy. After Berkhart finishes his monologue, the civilians begin to rush Spider-Man as they are being mind-controlled. Peter is able to quickly web back onto the Drop Tower but the civilians act like zombies, quickly climbing the Drop Tower for an ounce of spider-blood. Peter then darts off and begins to swing towards Berkhart as he fires nightmare-energy laser beams and such at him. Peter soon lands on the Ferris Wheel and begins to fight Berkhart and begins to win. In-response to this, Berkhart releases two of the civilians on the ferris wheel and drops them, Peter quickly webs the girl and attaches her to the ferris wheel safely and then webs the guy, but he is however too late and he dies. Daniel mocks him for being unable to save the civilian saying he's a joke for a hero. Peter then swings towards the eyeball that is at the center of the Ferris Wheel and begins to punch it saying that he may not have been able to, but Berkhart is also unable to save something. The Eyeball. Berkhart laughs as Peter couldn't possibly but Peter reveals one of his biggest secrets, every punch he's ever made he's pulled. Peter is able to destroy the eyeball with two-hits demonstrating his incredible strength and the Nightmare energy the eye was withholding disappears. Aftermath In the aftermath of the eyeball's destruction, Berkhart lays on the ground in-pain as all his illusions are down due to the eyeball being their main power source. They begin to talk and Berkhart tells him that the people are able to believe anything, Peter then kneels down and removes his mask saying that that's what both Quentin and Berkhart have wrong, people will revolt, they will find good. His senses then begin to activate and Peter stands disarming the real Berkhart as he was preparing to shoot Peter in the head. Daniel then settles down as that was his final trick, Peter shares some final words and then knocks him out with a single punch. As the police enter he pulls his mask on fleeing the scene, but not without leaving a note webbed to Mysterio. End-Credit Oscorp loads some work-in progress compounds and spiders into a truck that prepares to drive off to the Oscorp Brooklyn building.Category:Timeline Category:Events Category:Spider-Man Stories Category:Mysterio (Berkhart) stories Category:Iron Man stories Category:Gwen Stacy Stories Category:Ben Parker Stories Category:Stan Lee Stories Category:Miles Morales Stories Category:Mysterio stories Category:Avengers Stories